US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong on December 14, 2025, to discuss the “antisemitic terrorist attack” at Sydney’s Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration.

According to a statement issued by Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, the United States strongly condemned the terrorist attack targeting a Hanukkah event hosted by Chabad-Lubavitch of Bondi. The statement reiterated Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s assessment that the incident was “an act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism.”

“We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and with the Australian people as we pray for the victims and their families. We are grateful to Australian first responders and bystanders for their heroic response,” the statement said.

The message noted that as Jews around the world light Hanukkah candles, they commemorate the “triumph of light over darkness” and reflect on the long history of “Jewish resilience in the face of oppression.”

Emphasizing that no community should have to fear publicly celebrating their “faith and traditions” because of extremist violence or terror, the statement underscored, “There can be no compromise with antisemitism – this scourge must be confronted and defeated.”

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